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Nimbus Couzin, a professor of physics and small business owner, has announced he will run as an independent for mayor of Louisville Metro Government. Couzin teaches physics programs at the University of Louisville Medical School, founded a brewery in Arizona and is the owner of Ray's Monkey House Coffeehouse/Roastery in the Highlands. He announced his “intent to file the necessary petitions” to run for mayor through a press release Monday.

Couzin said the decision to run was “tough,” but he said the city needs change.

“There are a lot of issues not being addressed,” Couzin said. “The candidates that are considering running will do business as usual.”

Couzin says his platform will stress giving incentives and tax breaks to local, independent and green businesses instead of deals for “corporate parasites” like Cordish, which built 4th Street Live. He also will run on a policy of sustainability over grown, community policing, replacing current police commissioners with a civilian board and stressing academics over athletics at all levels.

On the sustainability issue, Couzin's press release says: “In other words, power that doesn't go out every time the wind blows, instead of corporate tax giveaways.”

The only other person who has announced mayoral aspirations is Louisville businessman Greg Fischer, who will run as a Democrat

and i second the academics over athletics.......coaches should never earn more than teachers

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Brian Curl wrote:Nimbus, do you think you could fire the whole city government and just run everythiing out of Ray's? This could be a huge money saver!

Hey! Wait a minute...there are a lot of hard working people in metro gov. Just get rid of all the Directors/Deputy Mayors/CEOs/Commissars/Advisors/Department Heads and let the folks who know what works run it.

Good Luck Nimbus!!

Retired from LMEMSCo-Founder and House Mother Berndows Enterprise"Time to eat?"

Brian Curl wrote:Nimbus, do you think you could fire the whole city government and just run everythiing out of Ray's? This could be a huge money saver!

I don't like the part of education over athletics however. You may want to leave that out because it will cost you all UoL and UK fan votes which is uhhh, just about everyone in Jefferson County. lol

Haha...thanks for he support. No, I wouldn't fire all of gov't. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't look at how things are being done. I'm pretty certain there is a BUNCH of waste in the system. I've experienced multiple local gov't systems and most are pretty similar. Exactly how to go about the reforms will be the tricky part.

As for education over athletics, U of L is pretty much off limits to Louisville jurisdiction. We won't touch it. I'm talking JCPS. Junior high and HS kids aren't bringing in money, and they shouldn't be dying on the practice fields. I'm a big time sports fan myself, and I play hoops as much as I can (tyler park pickup games, or Cherokee - anyone want to play? Seriously). I spent Sat morning with my big kid (Leone Ray, 6 1/2 yrs old) while he played baseball on his YMCA team. And he does karate twice weekly. It is just that the public schools NEED to emphasize academics. They need PE badly, yes. But they also need critical thinking, arts and humanities. Less rote learning for standardized testing. It is many issues, and athletics is only a small part of the problem. Overall, I'm pro-athletics, but we need some balance.

Brian Curl wrote:Nimbus, does this mean you will shave your beard and put on a suit?

My campaign manager said no suit, no tie, no shaving for the formal picture. Be myself.

I'm kind of running against the suits and ties. Against the business as usual. Yeah, I can do it, but isn't it just a big act? I'm determined to be different, rather than just another shade of the same.

and i second the academics over athletics.......coaches should never earn more than teachers

Thanks. The athletics thing may touch a raw nerve. As a sports junkie myself, I think I'll be able to explain my views as the topic evolves.

Coaches in big dollar programs (like U of L) do need to be paid big bucks. They're basically celebs. But that is really state tax dollars being spent, not Louisville. So the Mayor has no say over those decisions. Coaches in HS should be paid like other teachers. Athletics can be an important part of the learning process, but you can't neglect the academics.

Brian Curl wrote:Nimbus, do you think you could fire the whole city government and just run everythiing out of Ray's? This could be a huge money saver!

Hey! Wait a minute...there are a lot of hard working people in metro gov. Just get rid of all the Directors/Deputy Mayors/CEOs/Commissars/Advisors/Department Heads and let the folks who know what works run it.

Good Luck Nimbus!!

Thanks!!! I appreciate it...

There are a lot of hard workers. Definitely. There probably is a lot of administrative bloat also.. Change can be difficult, especially when people grow accustomed to a cushy system. That will be tricky, and it will take time. But I will pursue a serious "shake-up." Which will create opposition (of course). But it will be for the good of the city. Reform is never easy...

I still have yet to meet you in person, but from what I know you have my vote. Good luck!

Shawn Vest wrote:and i second the academics over athletics.......coaches should never earn more than teachers

That depends upon the level of athletics you're talking about Shawn. I pretty much agree with Nimbus' position. At U of L, football and basketball bring in much more money to the University than the salaries paid to Pitino and Kragthorpe. Plus, at the Division I level, such athletics can produce a great deal of positive publicity for the University. It's easy to say that academics is more important than athletics (it is ) but it is much harder to cope with the reality of actually running a university, making it popular with prospective students, and balancing the budget.

However, I couldn't agree more when it comes to high school sports.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."--J.R.R. Tolkien

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